Bottle feeding: "I'm not breastfeeding" - Your body, your decision

Bottle-fed babies have no bond with their mother. Bottle-fed children have bad teeth. Bottle-fed babies have more allergies. When it comes to bottle feeding babies, one myth follows the next. Today I would like to dispel them. Because I am Julia, mother of a son who is now 2 years old and I can say one thing straight away: he has developed quite normally. 

When I became pregnant in 2017, I made a conscious decision not to breastfeed from the very beginning. And I never justified my decision. Of course, I was often asked why I didn't want to breastfeed. My answer: "I don't want to breastfeed". My body, my decision. Yes, breastfeeding is the best thing for the baby, but The best for the baby does not always have to be the best for the mother.

Do not breastfeed: You don't have to justify yourself

But apart from the fact that I made this decision for myself, there are also countless women who can't breastfeed because it simply doesn't work, because no milk comes in or because of health problems. I would like to get something off my chest at this point:

No mother has to justify herself if she doesn't want to breastfeed. The reason why a baby is given a bottle is as private as the conception itself. It's nobody's business. And no mum needs to have a guilty conscience. 

It doesn't matter if your mother-in-law is annoying you, if you're getting weird looks in the café or even if your best friend is trying to convert you. Switch off, ignore it. And if someone asks you why you're not breastfeeding, feel free to point out that it's nobody's business. 

"This is a very private matter that I don't want to discuss with you"

Your answer to annoying questions

Be self-confident. You are a wonderful mumregardless of whether your child is breastfed or bottle-fed. My son and I have an intimate relationship and he only received colostrum from me in the delivery room. 

Another myth that is often spread: Bottle-fed babies don't have enough skin contact with their mother; this interferes with bonding. Here, too, I can say: total rubbish! When we fed our son, we held him in our arms just like a breastfed child. The question has to be: does the little bit more skin contact that a breastfed child gets (touching the breast with lips and hands) lead to better bonding? I don't think so. At this point I would like to refer to a Advantage of bottle feeding point out: Only mum can breastfeed. Only the mum can soothe the baby, only the mum can breastfeed the baby to sleep. But anyone can give a bottle, especially the dad. It was absolutely no problem for us when I went out with friends for the first time after the birth, because our son was used to being fed by both of us.

The right milk powder for bottle feeding

If you - like me - have completely decided against breastfeeding, then you will be mixing your child with milk powder. Please make sure that you Only pre-milk or HA (i.e. hypoallergenic) pre-milk give. There is no reason to feed your child pre-milk based on goat's milk. Why?

Our son was a very strong spitter. He didn't just burp after his bottle, he spit up a whole metre away and a lot of it. It was more by chance that we found out that he was allergic to cow's milk protein. The paediatrician's instructions were: no cow's milk for the first year. So we fed him soya-based pre-milk. The paediatrician also told us that goat's milk protein is very similar to cow's milk protein and that we should therefore not feed goat's milk. So if you want to avoid a cow's milk protein intolerance, I recommend pre-milk based on soya milk. 

Expressing breast milk for bottle feeding

If you have enough milk but don't want to breastfeed your child or it just won't work, you can simply express the milk. There are various breast pumps available for this purpose. If you have a medical reason for not breastfeeding, please contact your paediatrician or gynaecologist. You have the option of borrowing a breast pump from the pharmacyThe costs are usually covered by health insurance. 

If you do not want to breastfeed of your own accord, but want to express your breast milk, then I would recommend a Electric breast pump recommend. As you will be pumping very large quantities at the beginning, you will quickly reach your limits with a manual breast pump.

The electric breast pump

A good electric breast pump costs around 180 euros, for example this one here. When buying, make sure that the breast pump is equipped with a Bustier compatible, so you have both hands free during pumping. You can store the expressed breast milk either at Room temperature (can be kept at 16 to 25 degrees for about 6 hours), in the Refrigerator (can be stored at 4 degrees for max. 5 days) or in the Freezer (at -18 degrees max. 9 months). Always make a note of the bottling date so you can be sure that your breast milk has not gone bad. 

When filling the milk, pay attention to Sufficient hygiene and boil the storage bags in hot water beforehand. You don't have to worry about the nutrients, by the way; freezing and slow defrosting do not destroy the nutrients in the milk. Only the antibacterial effect of breast milk is lost after three weeks of freezing. Frozen breast milk can be thawed slowly in the fridge or in a water bath at a maximum temperature of 37 degrees. It is best to put the required amount of milk in the fridge the evening before. 

High-quality pre-milk for bottle feeding 

If your baby is not fed breast milk but formula, make sure you buy a high-quality product. Some manufacturers cheat by including sugars that are not necessary in pre-milk formula. At this point, I would like to add a personal note:

Our son had his last bottle shortly after his second birthday. At some point he just didn't like them any more. We only gave him soya-based pre-milk for almost two years. Why? There is no nutritional-physiological reason why a child should be given follow-on milk. For healthy development, it is completely sufficient to give the child pre-milk for as long as it is given a bottle. From my personal experience, I can say that a child who is given formula 1, 2 or even 3 milks will not sleep better or even sleep through the night. The start of complementary feeding is also no reason to switch to follow-on milk. Unfortunately, these milks often contain hidden sugars and a lot of starch. Your child therefore has no health advantage if you switch from pre-milk to follow-on milk. 

Unfortunately, our paediatrician wasn't much help with the initial choice of milk powder either, because they often don't know what's in pre-milk either. But she could assure me of one thing: Babies who receive pre-milk are provided with all the nutrients they needThey want for nothing. 

Organisation is everything

However, mothers who bottle-feed their children are not only faced with the challenge of having to justify themselves. They need to be well organised. I had two years to perfect bottle feeding for children and can say: the right organisation is easy on your nerves.

So that you can prepare the bottle for your baby quickly (because a hungry baby is a noisy baby), you should Always have the right temperature of water to hand. Our midwife told us at the time that the correct drinking temperature is 37 degrees, which is also what the manufacturers of milk powder recommend. 

To always have water at drinking temperature available at home, I recommend bottling boiled water in the required quantity (depending on the age of the child) and always keeping a Store the bottle in the bottle warmer. After consultation with our paediatrician, this does not lead to an increased germ load, as the water is only in the warmer for a short time - especially for babies. For this you need a bottle warmer that does not switch off automatically. I can recommend this here recommend. We had it on 24 hours a day for a year and it lasted without any problems. The water temperature remains constant at 37 degrees and of course it can also warm up and defrost jars. 

Bottle feeding on the go

For longer trips or as an alternative to a bottle warmer, you can also boil the water, cool it to drinking temperature and then pour it into a bottle warmer. Thermos flask fill. You need a model that really keeps you warm for many hours. I have tried several models and only this thermos flask convinced. A roasting thermometer helps you to check the temperature. If a 1-litre bottle is too big for you, then I recommend a 0.5 bottle. 

Once the water is finally at the right temperature in the bottle, you still need to add the milk powder. I recommend adding the required amount in the morning after getting up and in the evening before going to bed, in Powder dispenser to fill. It's really difficult to work with the small portion spoon with a crying baby in your arms. I tried out a few models and was satisfied with this powder dispenser very satisfied. The opening is just the right size and nothing goes wrong.

Teats against colic

You should talk to your midwife when choosing bottles and teats. Midwife Katharina recommends the Chicco teat. I know babies whose parents tried almost every teat until they finally found the right one. Basically, however, I would always make sure that the bottles and teats are a Anti-colic system have, just like dhere.

After use, you should empty the bottles Clean immediately with warm water and washing-up liquid. Our son has never had any problems with conventional washing-up liquid. We just made sure to buy a "sensitive" version that had as little odour as possible. Some companies offer special washing-up liquids for babies, but these are not necessary. One Bottle brush helps you to thoroughly remove the milk residue. You should replace these regularly. 

After cleaning the bottles with washing-up liquid, you should still clean them for the first few months. sterilise. You can boil them in a pot (I didn't like this because we have very chalky water) or you can use a Steam steriliser. After sterilising, you should allow the bottles to dry out well. I found a Drying rack for bottles pretty practical. 

Uncomplicated bottle feeding

We were very glad that we had this equipment, because it meant we could easily prepare a bottle when we were out and about. I can't remember when our son stopped drinking a bottle during the day. I think it was around 18 months. He stopped having a night-time bottle at around 20 months. 

If you want to switch from breastfeeding with breast milk to bottle feeding, you should know the following:

There is no need to justify yourself here either. You decide for yourself how long you want to breastfeed. 

At first glance, the simplest method appears to be the classic Weaning tablet to be. As I didn't want to breastfeed right from the start, I was given the small tablet in hospital. To be honest, I didn't notice anything negative. But that was probably because I hadn't really had any milk come in yet. The weaning tablet gives your body the active ingredient bromocriptine, which stops milk production. However, there are also some Side effectssuch as dizziness, headaches, fainting or depressive moods. 

Alternative weaning methods

A better alternative is the Gentle weaning. You wean your baby off the breast step by step. Of course, this only works if you don't want or need to wean immediately. One Sage or peppermint tea is a natural help here. Both types of tea inhibit the release of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production. Both also have an anti-inflammatory effect. You can drink two to four cups a day. You can also make your own Preparing weaning teaYou will need sage leaves, walnut leaves and hop cones.

If you notice that your breast hurts and becomes very firm, you can have a Curd wrap help. Many midwives recommend the following for breast inflammation homeopathic remedy Phytolacca. Please refrain from further treatments for the time being and ask your midwife for advice. 

Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed your baby is your own decision. You are a wonderful mum, no matter what you decide.